


the only sounds were goodnight songs and lullabies

by diaphanousveil



Series: Rooftops [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Ladybug has a cruuuush, Mostly Fluff, Season 2 spoilers, Slight Hurt/Comfort, Tickling, Zombizou spoilers, chat has toe beans, discussion of fears and insecurities, long conversations, mention of plant-cryptid hybrid horrors, mossman, nothing that ruins an episode though, pre-reveal, she doesn't quite know it yet, some implied angsty relationship stuff, those nights, tired heroes, you guys I love both of these heroes so much you have no idea, you know those gorgeous evenings when you have the most meaningful conversations of your life?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-29 05:37:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14466168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diaphanousveil/pseuds/diaphanousveil
Summary: Saving the world was incredibly rewarding, but also incredibly exhausting. Ladybug and Chat Noir were bone-tired in the best of ways.





	the only sounds were goodnight songs and lullabies

Saving the world was both incredibly rewarding and incredibly exhausting. Ladybug had been dragged out of bed by her kwami far too early in the morning, and she’d been on her feet all day. Mossman had been quite a bit more terrifying than he sounded, but at least no one had gotten hurt. Ladybug picked at a bit of green fuzz that had gotten caught in her hair as she vaguely wondered if her parents were home yet. She ignored the thought and allowed herself to take in the sight and scent and feeling of this precise moment. 

She was bone tired, but in the best of ways. Mossman had only terrorized Paris with cryptid-topiaries till early afternoon, but Ladybug and Chat Noir had taken the rest of the day to speak with journalists, confer with the police about how to prepare for Hawkmoth’s attacks, and visit civilians to assist in less-spectacular but still important public service. 

It was twilight, but the air was still warm, and the scents of a thousand spring flowers filled the air. The business of the day had faded to a peaceful stillness, and the only sounds were the goodnight songs of birds and crickets and the hum of cars passing through the streets. Ladybug, looking to the west, found that although the sunset was in its full glory she could see a crescent of moonlight in the sky as well, and timid little stars were beginning to peep out in the perfectly unclouded sky. She scarcely wanted to blink. Everything, everything, everything she saw was beautiful.

Chat looked up from where he’d been lying on the rooftop a few feet away, caught her staring and wiggled his eyebrows, a bizarrely attractive expression scrunching up his forehead. Ladybug made a face at him and then turned away so he wouldn’t see her blushing.

“It’s, uh, getting kinda late, don’t you think?” she asked, ignoring the squeak in her voice.  
Chat looked at his baton. 

“It’s only 9:15. Why, do you need to get back home?”

“No! I mean no, I can stay out a while longer. My parents are out of town today. They shouldn’t be back yet.”

Chat yawned, stretching his black-clothed arms above his head and extending his claws like a cat.

“What about you? Do you need to get home to your parents?” Ladybug asked.  
Chat shook his head.

“Nah, I’m already in trouble for being gone all day. I might as well stay out a while longer. I don’t really want to—hey!”

Ladybug, catching a glimpse of the bottom of Chat’s foot, had suddenly been overwhelmed with curiosity. She discovered that not only did Chat Noir’s costume have pads like a cat’s foot—they were also ticklish. 

Chat squealed and begged for mercy, and as Ladybug was unceasingly ruthless, he began to retaliate. Of course, Ladybug couldn’t let him win, so she had to get up and run for it. And of course, Chat Noir couldn’t let her get away, so he had to chase her. So Ladybug jumped to the next rooftop. So Chat Noir followed. 

So Ladybug went into her full superpowered-yoyo-swinging flight over the rooftops of Paris, and Chat purrsued her until all of a sudden he was back on the original rooftop and Ladybug was out of sight. He paused for a moment to catch his breath and found himself on the ground, unable to get out of the unbreakable string of Ladybug’s magical yoyo.

Ladybug’s assault began.  
“You know,” Chat said between giggles, “There’s nothing–hee hee–nothing stopping me from–ah! Not the paws, not the paws– cataclysming your yoyo.” 

“Why don’t you, then?” Ladybug asked, still tickling him, though she did move away from his paws. He managed to calm down enough to speak.

“Who am I kidding? You’d beat me, hands down, with or without your yoyo.”

Ladybug sat still for a moment, and then pulled the yoyo free.  
“Do you really think that?” 

“Well, sure. You’re Ladybug—it’s kind of your thing.”

“I’m not perfect, Chat. I can’t do this alone.”

“But you do, Ladybug! You’ve carried the weight of the team time after time. I’ve been caught in akuma attacks so many times I’ve lost count, but you always save the day.”

Ladybug found her crossed arms incredibly fascinating all of a sudden. She sat in silence for a moment. 

“What would you do,” she finally asked, “if I were the one caught by the akuma attack?”  
Chat shuddered. 

“I–I don’t know. I’m glad it’s never happened.”

“Me too.”

“Do you suppose we can be akumatized?” Chat wondered.

“I hope not. I came really close to an akuma once, but Miss...somebody I know got akumatized instead.”

“Who would save Paris if we couldn’t? If we weren’t able do anything?”

Ladybug thought about her father, who had promised her he would always be there to save the day. She thought about Officer Raincomprix, who had faced down a pirate ship from a tiny paddle boat without showing any fear. She thought about Mr. Damocles, who had become a hero by spreading kindness in the community, even if he couldn’t have superpowers. 

She thought about Alya, who was just as much of a superhero when she wrote articles about social issues every day as she had been when she was Rena Rouge. She thought about Miss Bustier, who had taught her that even Chloe could change. 

She thought about Adrien, who had been kind to her when she’d been unkind to him, who’d given her his umbrella even though it meant he’d get soaked. Adrien who’d been more gentle with her feelings than she’d been with his when she confessed. Adrien who she’d finally had to up as a romantic interest, but whose friendship she would cherish for the rest of her life.

“There will be someone,” she said. “There’s always someone.”

The sun was nearly gone down by now, and thoughts of home and warmth slipped into Ladybug’s mind. She knew she needed to get back soon, but she wasn’t ready to leave yet. She really was tired, almost too tired to move. She looked at Chat Noir sitting beside her, relaxed and peaceful and unafraid of what the future held. She would always have doubts and fears, but she didn’t feel afraid right now. She wasn’t alone, and she’d never be alone.

Ladybug yawned, stretching both arms as far and wide as they could go, and leaning over so that one arm fell naturally over Chat’s shoulder. He smiled at the contact and wrapped his arm around her, tucking her against his chest.

“There’s always someone,” she said.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this didn't really go anywhere in terms of shipping. I have a vague timeline in mind for this universe, and I'm thinking about writing a few more one-shots that would probably be a be more romantically oriented. What do you guys think? Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed <3!!!


End file.
